by faith + works

• justification by faith + works was a position taken by the Catholic Church in response to the Reformation
• justification by faith + works states some effort has to be put into the process of justification:

  • justification is God's gift to humanity
  • it is giving through the atoning death of Jesus + through baptism
  • the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to live good lives
  • responding to God's grace by living in a way that pleases God is an integral part of the process of salvation
• grace comes to individuals through baptism + faith is then developed in the context of the Church